Come Morning Light
by CheerLoveGale
Summary: In a prequel to Jabberjay, Katniss and Peeta Mellark are struggling to remain good parents to their three-yr-old daughter Maysilee. Katniss is an overprotective mother. Peeta is a working father. Together, they try to find ways to explain their complicated relationships without frightening their baby. Secrets are revealed that could change Panem forever.
1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~

My eyelids flutter open at the empty feel of the bed beside me. I pat my hand along the length of the sheet as far as I can reach down without moving, still feeling nothing. My eyelids had closed during this motion, but snap open, waiting and alert, for the sight of my baby sleeping next to me.

I roll over again, this time to my right, and shake hard on Peeta's arm. "Peeta," I whisper. "Peeta!"

He mumbles something unintelligible and rolls over before falling back asleep. At least trying to. "Peeta!" I say, shaking him roughly on the arm.

He looks up at me, his eyelids sagging with sleep. "What is it, Katniss?"

I pause.

"Katniss?" Now he's awake, and I mean fully awake, his eyes wide open and his head searching around for the reason I am upset.

"She's gone. Where is she?" I ask, tears pooling up in my eyes.

"Who?" he asks dumbly.

"Our daughter!" I yell.

"Oh, I took her out to day care. You know, we can afford that," he states matter of factly.

I stare at him, my mouth gaping open.

"What?" he asks.

"You took... Our daughter... To day care?" I exclaim.

"Yes, Katniss, I did. You know, I think it's about time you get over your aversion to other people caring for her. No one's going to hurt her," Peeta tells me.

I pause.

"Why are you so upset?" he asks. He searches my eyes for an answer before I speak.

"You know why," I whisper.

"Katniss, get some sleep. It's still early. I'll wake you before I leave for work."

An hour later, I am woken by whispered words. "I'm going to work, honey. I'll be back before you know it. I'll pick up Maysilee."

My eyelids start to close, but after he leaves I get up out of the soft bed. Maysilee. Our daughter. Our two-year-old daughter that wouldn't know the difference between night and day if it wasn't for Peeta, who occasionally sneaks her out of the house to go to day care.

My beautiful baby girl, already getting ready for her third year of life. When she turns five, the district will require her to go to day school for three hours daily, getting the weekend off, of course.

I am what my mother would call overly protective of my child. She is my only baby girl, and although she is everything I want in life and more, I do not want anymore children. Maysi is a blessing to me, but I just can't have another.

I walk downstairs and grab a nutrition bar, sent from my mother, who now works in a hospital down in the Capital. Try as you will, she won't come back to District 12. Maybe it has too many bad memories stored in its depths.

I then sit down on the couch, curling up against the arm. I flip the channels on our television, and, finding nothing to watch, decide to get up. I go into the study of our home in the Victors Village. I see Maysi's pink baby book lying on the big velvet chair that we hardly ever use, and pick it up. As soon as it is opened, i see the neatly printed birth certificate. Maysilee Rue Mellark, born July 11. Flipping through the pages, I see my daughter as she grows in each picture, and soon enough I'm seeing a blank page.

I grab a picture of her out of the desk drawer and stuff it in the slot, not wanting the book to be empty.

I can't take it anymore. I run outside into the driveway and walk quickly towards the day care center that Maysilee attends.

I open the glass door that has been newly renovated after the war. Right in front of me is the receptionists' desk. I walk up calmly and the secretary looks up. "How may I help you?" she asks, smiling while looking at me over her glasses, which have slid down her nose.

"I need to pick up my daughter," I say, trying to sound as formal as possible.

"Name?" she asks, looking down at her clipboard.

"Katniss Everdeen."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, you're not on the list," she says.

"How is that possible?" I ask, feeling myself get angrier and angrier as the clock ticks.

"Well, I don't know, honey," the old woman says, brushing a few pieces of silvery hair off her forehead. For a moment, we scale each other, wondering how to handle the situation. Finally, she speaks. "May I have the name of your child?"

I sigh loudly and roll my eyes. "Maysilee Everdeen."

She looks down at the clipboard again and flips a couple of pages back before saying, "There is no Maysilee Everdeen here."

I stare at her with squinted eyes. I stare for a second, thinking. Then I realize what I've done wrong. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maysilee Mellark," I say.

The woman looks at me, obviously unconvinced, but my face must show some degree of truth, because she speaks. "Maysilee is in Room 4, with Mrs. Trocoper."

"Thank you," I say, forcing a smile at the insistent woman.

I walk into the room and a young lady who must be the teacher stands from her desk. She walks over to me, smiling. "How may I help you today, ma'am?"

"I'm here to get Maysilee," I say.

"Oh, yes ma'am. I'll get her things. If you'd like to see her work, her table is right over there," she says with a big, white smile.

"Thank you," I reply, walking straight over to the seat.

She looks up as soon as she sees me. "Mommy!" she exclaims, jumping up into my arms. She wraps her chubby little toddler legs around me and smiles hugely.

"Hey, Maysi May."

"Mrs. Mellark-" the teacher begins.

"Everdeen," I correct.

"Excuse me. Mrs. Everdeen, this is Maysilee's book bag and this is a little gift I've bought her for her birthday. She said it's on Sunday...?"

"Yes," I say, smiling. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow, Maysilee!" she says.

Maysi waves and says, "Bye, Miss Trocoper!" Then we head home.

I put Maysi down for a nap after feeding her lunch, then go lay down on the couch. I am woken a few minutes later by keys rattling in the lock. Peeta, my fiancée, is home early. I rise and sit up on the couch. He walks immediately over to me once the door opens.

"Hey, sweetie," I say tiredly.

"Hey. You have Maysi?" he asks irritably in response.

"Yeah. I fed her lunch and everything. Why are you home so early?"

"Thought I'd take her home early only to find out you already had."

"I'm sorry, Peeta. I was so lonely and-"

"Then why didn't you come down and work with me?"

I know this has to be some kind of a trick question. "Me? Baking? Come on, Peeta, please," I say.

"I could teach you," he says in defense of his obviously not thought through words.

"Peeta, you know I can't bake," I say in reply.

He sighs, and hesitates before saying, "But you can kiss." He moves over to kiss me lightly and quickly on the cheek before going off to cook dinner.

When he comes back, the smell of macaroni and cheese floats through the air.

"Did you send out the party invitations today?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reply, going over to the refrigerator and grabbing a jug of milk. I pour some into a glass and drink it happily.

"You invited everyone on the list?" he asks suspiciously, knowing that I didn't want to invite some of them.

I sigh loudly enough do he can hear. "Yes, Peeta. I sent them to everyone. When are you going to start trusting me?"

He puts his arms around me and I rest my chin on his hands, which are clasped around my shoulders. "As soon as you trust me."

I know he's referring to our earlier conversation about day care, and decide now is a good time to change the subject. But for some reason, I continue on.

"I do trust you," I say.

"Prove it," he says, smiling.

"I love you," I reply, pulling him into a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2~

**A/N: Sorry y'all, it just so happens that I forgot to put an Author's Note at the beginning of the first chapter! I'm sorry about that! So, I don't own the Hunger Games or any of its characters except Maysilee (Mellark; I don't own Maysilee Donner) and some characters that will enter the story in later chapters. I hope y'all enjoy this little installment, and I will have the next one up soon! In case y'all are wondering, I've been having a little trouble getting Jabberjay uploaded on fanfic. I keep typing it up on my iPod, then I go to my email on my computer, and upload it from my notes folder, but it isn't wanting to upload…. Any tips? Anyway, read and review please! Enjoy!**

I wake up on Sunday morning to the sweet fragrance of cake wafting in the air in gentle waves. I get out of bed and quietly open the door to Maysilee's room to check on her. She is sleeping soundly in her crib, which she won't be using much longer. She's getting to old to sleep in a crib, I know, but I don't want my little baby to grow up.

Today she'll be three years old. The time has passed so quickly since the day she was born.

I pad down the hall to the kitchen, where I see a perfect vanilla cake in the oven and French Toast cooking in the pan.

"Yum," I say, surprising Peeta. I can arrive anywhere more quiet than anyone you can imagine. Except for one person...

'No. Stop it, Katniss! Stop!' the voice in the back of my head begs frantically, but I've already started.

Gale. The only person I know that can creep up behind you and you'd never know until he speaks. Gale. Who could set a snare so perfectly with those gentle fingers that could kill an animal without blinking an eye. Gale. Who is so great with weapons that he actually managed to kill my sister. Gale. My hunting partner. My best friend.

Sure, I still hunt without him, but is there a part of me that still wishes that he was right behind me, protecting me; a part of me that wishes he was here right now? Sure, I don't have to hunt since Peeta and I have money, but do I do it because there's some side of me that needs a part of him to hold on to?

No. Of course not. I have Peeta now. Although I have long since forgiven Gale for killing my sister, I have not forgiven him for abandoning me in my worst time of need. I don't need him at all.

"Katniss, can you grab the icing out of the pantry?" I jerk up from where I'd slumped over, leaning my head on my fists while sitting on the bar stool, but too fast. He's walking over before I can stop him. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," I reassure him. He pats my back lovingly and walks back over to the stove, where he butters the French Toast.

At the pantry, I take a moment to let any emotion cross my face that I need to let go of before going back to Peeta. There's no need to worry him about things that don't matter. So I make an oath to myself. I will never think of Gale Hawthorne again. Ever. Not even if he is standing right in front of me.

I let go completely, then walk back to Peeta, who has breakfast on the table and Maysi in his lap, eating hers hungrily.

"Mornin' momma," she chirps in her high pitch voice.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie!" I say, walking over and picking her up. I kiss her lightly and smile down at her. She smiles back.

"Thank you, mommy." Her voice, like soft bells, rings sweet in my ears and I forget all about the morning's occurrences. "I love you." She plants a kiss right on my cheek and wriggles out of my grasp. "Now I kiss daddy!" she declares, running over to Peeta, who crouches down and opens his arms for her. She stumbles when she hits his solid chest but he catches her and hugs her tight.

The sight of them, father and daughter, the little girl being tightly held in the man's arms brings a smile to my face. This moment, it's so familiar to me. I recognize it as the exact same way my father used to hold me every single every before his death.

I decide, after Maysilee eats her breakfast, that we should get her dressed for her birthday party. "Maysi, we've got to get you dressed. Come on," I say, waving her towards me. She grabs my hand as tight as she can and we head off toward her bedroom.

"I want to wear pretty dress!" she says happily, skipping to the closet.

"Well, I bought you a pretty new dress. Do you want to see?"

"Yes! Yes!" she exclaims, catching my heart and squeezing it tight with love for my daughter.

"Alright," I say, taking the dress from its hanger and showing it to her. It's an adorable little dress, really. Light pink with a hot pink ribbon over her heart, and ruffles over the bottom half, which starts at her stomach.

"Mommy!" she gasps, staring at it. "It's so pretty..." she whispers. She looks up at me, her eyes tearing ever so slightly, and says, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetie," I reply. Soon enough, she's dressed and ready, which is good since the guests are already arriving.

When she walks in the living room with me, dressed in a plain, spaghetti strap black dress that comes above my knees and shapes my figure expertly, everyone stops and stares.

Maysilee runs over to my mother, who stands in the doorway hesitantly. She hasn't ever been to our house to visit us, we have always come to hers. She seems almost scared now, as if the district will eat her alive.

She hugs Maysi and picks her up. Over the years, her hair has turned darker in some sections, making her seem more like an old mother than a grandmother.

"Hello, my girls," she says, obviously feeling uncomfortable in the living room filled with people. Delly Cartwright, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta (or Odair since she married Finnick), Tommy Odair (Annie and Finnick's son that is two years older than Maysilee), Haymitch, and Effie stand around talking amongst themselves and to Peeta.

"Hey, mom," I say, hugging her with the one arm that isn't holding Maysi on my hip.

"Nice party," she comments.

"Thanks."

She then excuses herself to the bathroom. We eat cake an hour later after everyone has talked and everything, though the only thing that shuts up this rowdy group is singing Happy Birthday. We open presents, and then Tommy and Maysi play Scrabble on the couch, frequently getting tiny wooden pieces in between the cushions.

I excuse myself for a minute to use the bathroom. I walk upstairs to use the one in me and Peeta's bedroom so that I can freshen up my lipstick, too. I am just zipping my dress back up when I hear the doorbell ring. I didn't think I invited anyone else, but maybe I was wrong. 'Peeta will get it,' I think. I finish zipping the dress and doing my lipstick, taking my time.

When I open the bathroom door, I hear an eerie silence downstairs, except for the occasional gasp or the muffled words of two people talking. I walk down the stairs. The sound of my flat black boots clanking against the wooden stairs would be silent if the room were loud, but in the silence they echo against the walls, and everyone turns around to see.

I am just rounding the corner of the hallway into the living room, redoing my hair into its former side ponytail against my neck when I begin to speak. "Peeta, who's at the do-"

I stop in my tracks as I stand in the middle of the wide entrance of the living room, and stare into the eyes of Gale Hawthorne.

**A/N: So… how did y'all like it? Review this story please! You guys have absolutely no idea how much it means to me to read reviews and comments on my work! It warms my heart and melts my soul, lol! Anyway, so I do accept constructive criticism as well as compliments, of course, so feel free! Need longer chapters? Review. Need longer paragraphs? Review. Need better adjectives? Review. Like it the way it is? Double times review! Thanks for all your help and support on this story, and I hope you enjoy it in the weeks of writing and reading to come! Enjoy, and may the odds be ever in your favor! **


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~

**A/N: Hey, guys! Just as a side note before we begin, I do not own the Hunger Games or any of its characters except Maysilee, Kale, and some other characters that will enter the story shortly. I do not own Maysilee Donner, I own Maysilee Mellark, who is simply and purely mine, without a doubt. Well, technically, I don't exactly own her, because she is made up of Peeta and Katniss, but I do own her personality and name and everything unique about her. Anyway, read and review! And don't forget to enjoy, of course!**

"Hey, Catnip," he says in his deep voice that always makes me melt on the inside, no matter how much I don't want to admit it. I blush deeply as memories of me and Gale in the woods hunting before the Games, of him kissing me after I got back, of him being unconscious on our kitchen table, of him kissing me in 13; every happy memory associated with swirls around in my mind.

Then I remember what I had promised myself earlier. How ironic that he's here now, all the way from 2. He can't know it's Maysilee's birthday. He can't even know I have a daughter. Unless he saw on the news that day...

No. He can't have been keeping track of me! But why else would he be here right now...?

He slowly loses his small smile as he decides I've waited too long. But I won't give him the opportunity to leave. Not just yet.

"Gale...?" If it is Gale, then he has changed a lot. The only thing that stands prominently as his own against the tanner skin and darker hair and aged features is his gray eyes that will never ever change.

"Yeah. You don't look the same yourself, Catnip. You look so... girly." He smiles at me, and I begin to smile back when I realize my mother is standing somewhere in this room, most likely mourning over her daughter. And so is Annie, who is surely having bad memories associated with the war and Finnick and Gale right now, with everyone here.

My almost smile turns into a frown quickly. "Gale... why are you here?"

He frowns, too. "Katniss, we need to talk."

"We are talking."

"You know what I mean." He looks me in the eyes with that heart melting look of longing that I know from those days on the hunt, when he would see a deer, aim the arrow, and shoot it, but the deer had left before the arrow pierced its flesh.

I glance back at the others in the room. Greasy Sae has arrived with Hazelle while I was upstairs, and them along with everyone else in the room, including the two kids, have stopped to stare at us. Us. Me and Gale. Looking at each other with longing and need, knowing we need to talk, but knowing we can't.

I look over at Peeta and raise an eyebrow. He knows what I want. There's a long pause as hr searches my eyes for something.

"Well, who wants burgers and ice cream?" he declares. Delly follows his lead and marches into the kitchen first, followed by the kids and everyone else, even stubborn old Haymitch.

"Can we-" I begin.

"Yeah," he finishes, starting off toward the meadow, where we know no one will see us.

When we get there, he is first to speak. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

"No. But I know how much I've missed you."

He smiles that sweet smile that he used to get back in the woods in our special place overlooking the valley. I smile back and he walks toward me. Before I know it, he's hugging me tight and blabbering on about how much he's missed me and all of that.

"Gale," I say after a couple of minutes.

He looks down at me. "Hmm?"

"I can't."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because. Peeta..."

"Peeta doesn't matter," he growls, getting a fierce look in his eyes.

"Gale... It does. I have a daughter now. I can't hurt my family like this. It's not safe for us to be alone out here anyway. People are watching..."

"I have something to show you," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward my old house in the Seam. I stop right in front of the door.

"Gale..."

"Trust me," he whispers.

I nod in answer, tears slipping down my cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he asks.

"I haven't seen her since-"

"She won't remember you. She needs to know her mother."

We look into each other's eyes for a long moment before I break the gaze and turn the doorknob.

I look around the room, searching for the tiny life that is in my old home. "See her?"

I look up, and then I do. Right smack on the old cushioned chair, the only one we could afford back before I won the Games.

Tears fill my eyes and I try to blink them back, but it's no use. "She's ours?"

Gale nods in response and I waste no time in pressing my lips to his and making our first kiss in what seems like forever worth something.

He's the one that breaks away, and looks down at me. "Well, do you want to meet your daughter or not?"

I laugh quietly. "You mean our daughter?" I walk over to the chair and look down into the mess of blankets that wraps around this small bundle of warmth. Our baby girl, the one I forced Gale to keep after she was born three months ago, is finally back in my arms.

"Did you name her?" I ask. I look up at him and see he's smiling at the sight of his baby in its mother's arms.

He nods. I raise an eyebrow and he says, "Kale."

"Kale. Where's you get that?"

He laughs. "Well, I sorta of put our names together and it formed something." I laugh quietly and begin bonding with our tiny little baby. Her little chubby hand wraps around my index finger and she makes noises that make me smile happily down at her. The beauty of this little baby, with that Seam look to her since both of her parents are from the Seam, is overwhelming.

"Kale Hawthorne. Middle name?" I ask.

"You're not going to like it," he says.

"I like everything you come up with," I respond, smiling.

"Hazelle," he answers, grinning at me. "You like it?"

"It's beautiful." I look up and smile, then look back down at my baby, now asleep in my arms, but still clutching to my finger. Gale places a hand on my shoulder and I turn to find him gazing at me.

"I love you," he says.

"I know," I say. I know what answer he was expecting but I can't give it to him.

"Gale, really. I've got to get back home. People will think something's going on." I begin to hand him Kale, but his hands stop me.

"No. You keep the baby."

"And how am I supposed to explain going off with you for an hour and coming back with a baby?" I exclaim.

"Say you found it outside."

"Sure. I found a baby outside that looks exactly like me. Nice job, Gale," I laugh sarcastically. "Now take her."

"Katniss, I want her to live with her mother! I'm not in a good situation to care for children right now!"

"Oh, is that why you came here, then?" I ask, tears filling my eyes. "So you can dump a baby onto my shoulders? Gale, it's my daughter's birthday, and I'm not going to ruin it for an idiot like you." I turn around and run out the door before he can stop me.

I can hear the baby wailing in the distance as I head out into the pouring rain that has begun to fall. It's dark as night outside, it's so dark, and there's thunder every couple of seconds that about scares me to death.

I can hear talking and playing and exclamations of joy before I even near the house, and a smile begins to form on my face as I come closer and closer. But then I get inside.

"Did you have fun with Gale?"

"Where's Gale?"

"Haven't seen him in awhile."

Then Peeta approaches me, not making the slightest effort to go to somewhere private for affection. He's right next to me, brushing against my side. "Have fun?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I say quietly, looking down. Johanna is staring at me with wide eyes, probably thinking something bad about me that I honestly don't think I want to know.

Haymitch, who has obviously had too much to drink today by the way he slurs his words, says, "Heart breaker, is he, sweetheart?"

Hazelle gasps, obviously not having even considered this situation. "Oh, honey, what'd he do?" My eyes are starting to get wet now.

Haymitch, who I'm starting to regret inviting, takes notice of this, too. "Why you crying?"

"He didn't do anything. It's just rain on my face. You know it's pouring out there," I say, pointing to the window.

Hazelle, Delly, my mother, Effie, and for some reason even Peeta don't question this. But everyone else knows the truth. It doesn't take a detective to figure out it wasn't something good. But they don't know what happened exactly. And to be perfectly honest, I don't either. I guess the fact that I can't have him and that he was shoving my baby in my face after my not having seen her in months just really set me off.

But today isn't about me. It's about my real daughter. The only one that's really mine, and who I really live for.

**A/N: So…. How did you like it? I am proud of it, if I do say so myself, lol! Please review! I accept constructive criticism, and of course I accept compliments and just plain out comments! I like to have my fans PM me, so if you want to, go right ahead, though I don't check my PM often. I will make an attempt to check it more often from now on, though! I hope you liked this story, and may the odds be ever in your favor! **


	4. Chapter 4

~Chapter 4~

**A/N: Hey, guys! What's up? Sorry I'm uploading like, half the story today, but I'm just so bored I can't stand it! I don't own the Hunger Games or any of its characters, though I do own Jabberjay (but not the actual birds) and Come Morning Light (but not that line in the lyrics of Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift.) I have had a friend of mine ask why I named this story what I did, and why I named Jabberjay what I did. Well, you'll find out later in both of the stories why I do what I do. Anyway, so as usual and always, enjoy!**

We go off to let the little kids, including Posy, who has arrived with Greasy Sae and is now ten years old, play games while the adults talk. No one questions me about Gale, and I don't talk about it. They won't be able to make anymore sense of it than I can.

After a while, the endless boring conversation gets exhausting. I give up on it and walk silently to the kitchen. I grab a piece of cake and begin to eat it with my fingers as I stare out the window into the front yard absentmindedly. The sun has come out now, and the pink sky and bright orange sunset plays across Maysi's face as she runs from Posy, who is apparently acting as 'it' in their game of tag. Her dress flies around her as she runs, her curly golden brown ringlets dancing and bouncing with the wind her movements create. Her blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight like the ocean.

Watching the kids play is entertaining enough. It takes my mind off the troubles at hand, though only temporarily. It isn't long before the second most antisocial person here besides me decides she's bored, too, and comes out to join me.

Don't get me wrong, I like Johanna, no, love her. She's like an older sister, always fighting with me, always ratting me out to anyone that cares. But when I'm not in the mood, she knows when to back off. Just my luck, she doesn't today.

"Party boring you?" she asks, shoving a large piece of cake down her throat happily.

"Sort of," I admit, not looking away from the yard.

She licks the pink frosting from her fingers. "Well what's the other half? One half boredom, one half... what?"

"It's nothing," I answer glumly.

"Well, you don't seem too enthusiastic about anything. It's your kid's birthday, you know. Have some fun. Be happy for her."

"I would if I could."

Johanna starts to say something, then pauses. She raises an eyebrow, but I just shake my head, wanting nothing more than to be left alone in my depressed state.

"You're not exactly in the party mood, are you?" she asks.

"Not at all, really," I answer.

"Well, I'll go get some drinks from Haymitch. I'm sure he can spare a bottle or two."

"No thanks," I say.

"Your loss," Johanna replies before heading back to the party.

Five minutes later, Tommy runs in, squealing on about how he got his shirt dirty. Since I am the only one in the kitchen, no one else hears his commotion.

Maysilee comes running in soon after, which I had expected, and says, "Mommy, what's wrong with Tommy?"

"Nothing, baby, go back outside and play, okay? He'll be back in a minute," I respond calmly.

"Okay," she says, skipping back out to play.

"Come on, let's get your mom," I say, lifting the five-year-old boy onto my hip and walking out into the living room.

"Annie!" I call over the loud chattering. She immediately walks over, seeing Tommy fighting around my arms to wipe is shirt clean.

"Tommy! That's a brand new shirt!" Annie scolds, taking him from me. "What happened?"

"I think he fell in the sprinkler," I explain.

"Well, just take off your shirt and you'll be fine," she says. Her son removes his shirt and I'm shocked to see how large-muscled and fit the little kindergartener is. We all know who he got that from. Certainly not Annie, who wouldn't have any physical strength at all of it weren't for the Games.

I laugh, seeing this small child with such a huge body, and Annie immediately guesses what I'm laughing at. She joins in and says, "He didn't get those from me."

"Maysi didn't get those blue eyes from me, either. The bedazzlers," I say. We start into another fit of motherly laughter, but we're interrupted by Posy leading Maysilee by the hand and to us.

"Katniss, Maysi wants to know if she can play with Tommy now," Posy explains.

Maysi smiles and says, "Momma, you PROMISED."

I smile at her, and Annie says, "Tommy, you ready to play?"

He nods enthusiastically and jumps down from his mother's arms. The two youngest kids run as fast as their chubby child legs can carry them out the door, Posy walking behind them, bent over with her hands positioned supportively behind their backs in case they slip.

Annie and I carry on a good conversation, talking about how we take care of our kids, what rules they are forced to follow, where we shop for their clothes, and so on. Before long, my mother, Delly, Hazelle, and Greasy Sae have joined in the conversation, wanting so badly to avoid Haymitch and Johanna's slurred conversation. Effie is there talking with them, trying to carry on a pleasant conversation with the drunks, but even she has to give up when they start singing some kind of a drinking song.

Beetee arrives a few minutes later. I haven't seen Beetee in so long that it's almost a reflex reaction when I literally run over to greet him. He has the good sense to follow me instead of getting wrapped up with Johanna, who, when she catches sight of him, immediately yells, "Hey Volts!"

Sooner rather than later, people begin to leave. Some of the people that live out of district, such as my mother, Annie and Tommy, Johanna, and Beetee, are offered the empty homes around ours in the Victors Village.

These homes remain empty as they did before the war, perfect and undamaged. Since there are no more victors to live in them, they stand as the official guest houses for the visitors that constantly come to see me and Peeta.

It's 11:00 before I can finally get the three kids wound down. Annie and Tommy head out around eleven. Beetee heads out with them. Effie leaves at 10:30, claiming that if she stays any longer, her schedule for the rest of her life will be permanently altered. We get Johanna and Haymitch out of the house around 2:30 in the morning, and that's only because Peeta literally shoves the both of them out the door.

It's a relief when Peeta and I finally lay down in our bed and relax after our long day of excitement. Maysilee is fast asleep, somehow not woken by the sound of Haymitch very loudly protesting against leaving.

"Well, how was your day?" Peeta asks me. I know he's referring to my hour with Gale.

"It was fine," I reply.

"That's good..." he murmurs before falling asleep.

**A/N: Alright, that was pretty good, right? I will admit, I got bored writing it around the end of the chapter, when I was explaining at what time everyone left and all that. That's never fun XD. But as always, it gets better! Yay! XD! Review as soon as you can, and you always have the option of constructive criticism if you don't like my stories! And if you do, well, you know what your duty is. And if you don't, then it's to review! Duh! Hope y'all like it! I can't believe I got this many chapters up in one day, but I guess I was just asking for it since I was so bored and I had those beautiful, vulnerable chapters just laying in front of me. Lol, I'm bad about procrastinating, but I can already tell that you most likely won't have to worry about that with this story! Lol. Anyway, so as usual thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! There's more to come! And don't forget: May the odds be ever in your favor! Love y'all! **


	5. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~

**A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've had a busy schedule lately. Anyway, so read and review, as always! As a disclaimer, I do not own the Hunger Games or any of its characters, the only characters I own are my own. These characters consist of Maysilee Mellark, Tommy Odair, Kale Hawthorne, and some of the other characters that will enter the story in later chapters. R&R and enjoy!**

Peeta rises out of bed before I do, off to make breakfast, I suppose. Try as I may, I can't fall back to sleep. So I slide on my slippers, and pad down the hallway to the living room, where I find Maysilee sitting quietly on the couch watching cartoons.

She notices me and speaks first. "'Morning, momma."

"Good morning, sweet pea," I say, walking closer. Peeta hasn't said anything, so I guess he doesn't know I'm awake yet.

We both pause, looking each other over, before she turns back to her television show.

When the war ended, the Capital was made to treat the districts the same as they will be treated. We have the options of surgically altering ourselves, changing the gender of unborn children, wearing excessive amounts of makeup, and other crazy things, but the districts don't want to change themselves. Some of them refuse to even watch the television shows provided for them. In our family, that doesn't happen. Maysi loves her shows.

"What are you watching?" I ask.

"Tom and Jerry. Shhh!" she replies anxiously, never looking away from the screen, where an ugly cat and a brown mouse are whacking each other with baseball bats. I never thought I'd say this, but that car may even be uglier than Buttercup. Boy, is that saying something.

My eyes land on a bowl that is lodged between Maysi's legs, which are crossed Indian-style.

"Maysi," I say.

She looks up very briefly before her head turns back to the TV in the blink of an eye.

"What's in that bowl?" I ask.

She finally looks up from her show, looking me in the eyes. She contemplates whether to lie or tell the truth. "M&Ms," she admits.

"Are you supposed to be eating on the couch?"

"No ma'am."

"Are you supposed to be eating candy before meals?"

"No, mommy."

"Uh, huh. That's what I thought. Hand it over," I say, holding my hand out for her favorite little tie dye bowl.

She gives it to me, and I walk away to the kitchen, stuffing a handful into my mouth.

I just barely make it inside the kitchen before I slip. I scream while going down, and Peeta turns around to see what the commotion is. "Oh my gosh! Katniss, you about gave me a heart attack! Golly!" he exclaims.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have left a wet dish towel on the floor," I reply, accepting his hand as he pulls me up.

"Well, that was the wrong way to start off a morning," he jokes. We both laugh. "Will you clean up that candy while I finish breakfast?"

"Yeah," I say, leaning over. I kneel down to pick the chocolate up. It takes a few minutes before I notice his eyes on me. I look up at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he says. He doesn't look away, though.

I crouch down, my feet bent slightly, and rest my arms on my knees. "If it's nothing, why are you blushing?"

"I don't know..."

I get up and walk over to him. I kiss him, and when he gets past the surprise, he kisses back. "I know why," I whisper.

"Why?"

I kiss him again before answering. "Because you love me."

He smiles, and pushes me away gently. "Yup. Now move it, you're going to make me burn these pancakes before they even turn solid. Will you get me the flour?"

He turns around and pours the batter into the pan, and I say, "Sure." A practical joke forms in my head, and it's too late to abandon it. I guess Finnick taught me well. I tip toe over to the pantry, and grab the flour. Tip toeing back to Peeta, I open the sack of white powder as quietly as possible. I tap on his shoulder.

He turns around to see what I want, but doesn't expect the cloud of flour that is dumped over his head. Within seconds, he has transformed into a giant marshmallow.

"Oh, you...!" he exclaims. I honestly didn't see it coming when he grabbed the dish soap and poured it all over my face. Then he gets his hands and wipes it all over me, making it foam up.

"Peeta! Peeta! Peeta, no! No, not the grape juice!"

Too late. I am soaked in juice and dish soap before I can stop him. He's laughing so hard I sort of expect him to start choking on the flour. I snatch a dish towel off the counter and scrub my clothes and face.

Once again, he looks at me. I catch him quick this time, and slap him across the face with the towel before he can defend himself. "You little monster," I tease, giggling.

He grabs a wet paper towel and wipes the now sticky powder off himself. We help each other until all that's left is the uncomfortable sticky feeling all over our hands and face that you get after using syrup.

"You're sticky," I giggle.

"You're sticky and purple," he laughs, squeezing the liquid out of a dripping strand of my hair.

We laugh before wondering why Maysi hasn't come in to see the commotion yet. "She's watching cartoons. She doesn't care," I tell Peeta.

"Then I guess it's safe to say I love you?" he asks, twirling the same strand of hair.

"I guess it's safe to say I love you, too," I reply. "You still have flour on your nose!" I giggle, wiping it off and giving him a small kiss.

"I'm going to the bathroom. Be right back," I say.

When I return to the kitchen, I find Maysilee sitting in Peeta's lap, eating three pancakes at one time, stacking them onto her fork and tearing off bites with her front teeth. "Hey, Maysi May," I say.

"Mommy!" She runs for me and I pick her up when she reaches me, twirling her around before letting her plant a big kiss on my cheek. "I love my mommy!" she exclaims, looking at Peeta and grinning.

"What about me?" he asks, smiling. He knows her well enough to know that she's just kidding.

She struggles against my arms and I let her down. She stands firmly on the ground and announces, "Now I kiss daddy!" with her hands on her hips.

Peeta crouches to the floor and opens his arms for her. She runs as fast as she can for him, and her palms collide with his chest defensively. "I love my daddy!" she says, kissing him on the cheek and smiling hugely at me.

He laughs and she goes back to eating her food. This is why I love children. They love you back.

**A/N: Hey again! Just wanted to say thank y'all so much for reading, and I hope y'all liked it! This is chapter five of a story that is probably going to be much longer, and if I get bored today, I might go ahead and upload two or three more chapters, since I've already written them. But I need reviews! Good or bad reviews, I don't care. Just give me some flipping reviews, you guys! And to the many reviews I have gotten asking me when I'm going to update, I'm so sorry about that, but I have a busy life, as I'm sure the rest of you guys and girls out there do sometimes or all the time, and the past couple of weeks have been even busier than usual, so if y'all will just bear with me here, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks for reading, and as usual… May the odds be ever in your favor! Love y'all!**


	6. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~

**A/N: Good morning, or should I say afternoon, y'all! I just woke up a couple of minutes ago, and right now it's 12:15 in the afternoon, lol. So I'm still in a morning mood, but I'm hyped up and ready to write! I had my special drink: hot cocoa lol. I know it's summer time, but hot chocolate is good any time of year! Anyway, so I don't own the Hunger Games or any of its characters, only the ones that I created, such as Maysilee Mellark (not Donner), Kale Hawthorne, Tommy Odair, and some of the other characters that will enter later on. But I don't own Kale, Maysi, or Tommy's parents. Any of them. None at all. I promise. XD. Anyway, so as usual, read and review, and most importantly… Enjoy!**

I am woken on a beautiful Monday morning by the chirping of birds, happily singing to the trees. Glancing at the room, I can tell by the light that it is definitely closer to noon than it is morning.

"Peeta," I say, looking to my right to face him, but instead facing the empty pillows.

Turning over once more, I find the clock and am surprised to find the reading. 11:30. I don't think I've ever in my life slept in this late. I must have been sleeping heavily not to have been woken by Peeta going to work or by Maysilee going to day care. Day care!

Oh, great. Now I really am alone. Isn't this just fabulous?

I slide off the bed and my feet find my slippers. They slip in easily and I find immediate warmth from the cool wooden floor I would've had to endure otherwise. Padding over to the kitchen, I find no signs of anyone being home but me.

I find a mug and fill it with warm milk, then grab some hot cocoa mix and a spoon. Soon enough, I have a nice, warm mug of hot chocolate to get me through the morning.

I have a seat on the sofa in the sunroom and look out the full glass walls, only the birds keeping me company. They begin to sing a tune, and I lose myself in a place I used to share with my father out in the woods. One of those worlds where all there is is music and happiness.

I sit and listen to their different melodies, one mixing with another to create a beautiful harmony. I am so lost in that world that I hardly notice when I open the glass door leading to the wide open lawn of the backyard and begin to sing to them. It's not until every bird falls silent that I realize they're mockingjays.

'Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Wear a necklace of rope

Side by side with me...' I sing, hoping the birds will catch into my tune and join me. When they do, it's almost an overwhelming amount of beauty, hanging in the air around me. I stand in the open green of the backyard, having moved there to listen clearer, and let the mockingjays fly about me, spreading my song amongst themselves.

The song, an old one, The Hanging Tree, always brightens up my spirits. My father used to sing it to Prim and me before he died. My mother didn't like it, though, and one night they got in a fight over us singing it. Prim, not knowing the meaning of it, went around singing random lines of it all of the time. Once, I even made a little rope necklace, and that was the end of the line. The song was officially banned from our home then. But whenever my father and I would hunt out in the woods, we'd sing it secretly, and my mother never knew.

I haven't sung it since the war, though, when Gale, me, and the rebel camera crew were filming propos in the then ruins of District 12. I remember we were eating lunch, and Pollux, an Avox and one of the insects, wanted me to sing to him. I began singing it, and couldn't stop. The birds couldn't keep up; it was new to them then, but now they surely know the tune.

It's not until then that I can hear someone breathing behind me. I turn to see Peeta and Maysilee silently watching. I see Peeta first, smiling a wide smile at me as he did the first time he heard me sing. I notice Maysilee in his arms, also smiling. At first, my cheeks go hot at them catching me, but eventually I can't resist smiling back at them.

"Mommy," Maysi says, struggling against Peeta's arms. He bends over to place her on the ground and she toddles over to me. She taps my knee. "Mommy."

"Yes, baby?"

"You sing with the birds," she says wonderingly.

Peeta answers for me. "Yes."

I bend over so she can look me in the eyes. She places her chubby toddler hand on my cheek and says, "You sing beautiful."

I feel my heart squeezing me tight as it always does during these glorious bonding moments with my daughter. "Do you want to sing?" I ask her.

"I sing to birdies," she replies.

"Okay. I want you to start singing, and we'll see if the birdies listen," I whisper quietly.

"Okay," she whispers back.

I prepare myself for an adorable child's voice, singing something short but sweet like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but I am completely unprepared for what does happen. Maysilee opens her little pink mouth to begin, and I look at Peeta. He has a look of satisfaction in his eyes, like he's succeeded in keeping her entertained. Maysilee's eyes blink once, twice, her lips move as if warming up, and then sound comes out.

Her voice, soft and childish, with bells ringing high and clear, starts into a song. A lullaby, one I used to sing to her. I think it's been around a long time, like most of the lullabies in our district. I don't think it's always been a lullaby, though. Probably someone turned it into one.

"I can see it from the spark in your eyes

You believe in all the things you deny

You wanna fly, and leave your worries behind

Don't you, don't you..."

She sings, soft but clear in a voice that could never be classified as a child's voice. A beautiful noise, so beautiful that it makes your heart hurt with both jealousy and happiness.

I look to Peeta and mouth, "Someone pinch me."

"Right back at you," he mouths back, staring with wide eyes and a grin on his face at our daughter.

She stops after the first verse, listening for the mockingjays to pick up. When she began singing, not only the mockingjays, but all the birds within a mile of our home stopped to listen.

They pause for a moment politely, then they pick up Maysi's song, chirping it along with her.

Tears fill my eyes at the sight of her, the little girl whose voice is even more beautiful than mine, even more beautiful than my father's. I used to think that was impossible, that my father was the best singer there ever was, until today. The day my life changed.

She looks over to us in confirmation, her full pink lips stretching into a huge smile. We both smile back at her, listening to the melody of the birds.

"Extraordinary," I whisper.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Review, please! Constructive criticism and compliments and just plain old comments are allowed, as always. If you have any questions, ideas, etc, please contact me in any way! Review or PM, though if you have questions, please PM me so I can get in touch with you easier! Thanks so much, and…. May the odds be ever in your favor!**


	7. Chapter 7

~Chapter 7~

**A/N: Hey you guys and girls! I hope y'all have enjoyed this story so far! Hey, I'm trying to do this little vote thing to find out whether I should upload and complete Come Morning Light or Jabberjay first, so if y'all don't mind, please review or PM me and tell me what you think! Majority vote only! Thanks so much, and as always, I do not own the Hunger Games or any of its characters, only my own such as Maysilee Mellark, Tommy Odair, Kale Hawthorne, and some of the other characters that have already appeared or will make an appearance in a later chapter. Read and review and, of course, enjoy!**

Ring! Ring, ring!

I am woken by the very annoying sound of the telephone ringing.

"Peeta..." I groan, rolling over on my stomach and flipping my pillow over my head.

No answer.

"Peeta..."

Only silence.

"Peeta!" I hit my pillow over where his head should be, but unexpectedly hit the mattress instead. I have to think a second before realizing I slept in and I'm alone. He must have left for work and decided to let me sleep.

Then, the phone appears in my consciousness again. It continues to ring for five minutes before I finally decide to pick it up and end this now.

"Hello?" I say irritably.

"Um... Did someone get up on the wrong side of the bed?" a familiar voice asks.

Who is this?

"Uh, yeah, after you woke me up. Who is 'you' anyway?" I ask.

"Catnip, you can't recognize voices? Gosh, that war did screw you up."

I gasp into the receiver. My hands sweat uncontrollably, and in a matter of seconds, the phone has slipped from my hands and landed on the floor with a clatter.

I can hear wondering calls at first on the other line, but after a couple of seconds, it turns to cries of panic. "Catnip? Katniss? Katniss Everdeen-!"

I snatch the phone off the ground, hold it for a moment, then hang up. I can almost see Gale, sitting in District Two, wondering why the heck the phone is beeping in his ear and saying, "Please hang up or try again."

I almost smile at the thought, but give up, laying back down in bed. I am just on the verge of sleep when the phone rings again.

I yank it off the hook on the side table and punch the talk button, holding the phone to my ear. "Hello?" I exclaim.

"Katniss! Oh, you're okay! I thought-"

"Look, Gale, please just leave me alone. Really. I think it's better. Better for both of us now," I say softly, my voice lowering to a whisper on the last sentence.

"Katniss, I just want to talk to you. Please. Just a few minutes, I promise," Gale pleads. I can practically see his eyes, watering as he fights the tears of longing.

I pause, not speaking, not moving, only staring into space.

There's a growl on the other end. "He's there, isn't he?"

This snaps me back to reality. "Yes. I mean, no! No, he's at work. I just-"

"Katniss, please. I'm coming over. I'm on the train passing through Eleven now. I'll be there in a few. Love you."

The phone hangs up, but I utter a quiet, "Love you, too," anyway.

An hour later, the doorbell rings. There's no question who this is.

I open the door, and am immediately crushed to the hard, muscled chest of a hunter; held tight by the scarred fingers that can set the most intricate of snares. "Katniss," he whispers.

"Gale, I-"

"Oh, Catnip... I've missed you so much."

"It's only been two weeks, Gale," I laugh into his chest.

He laughs, and raises my chin. Our eyes lock, and he leans in. His lips are inches away from mine when I press my hands against his chest, pushing him back.

"Gale... not here," I whisper.

"Katniss, it's just a kiss," he laughs.

"I know, but the door's open, and if Peeta comes home early..."

"Alright. You'll have more time to hide me. Okay, come on then." He leads me to the guest room, a place that I haven't set foot in for years. He shuts the door, then turns to face me. He spins me around and pins me to the wall, pressing himself against me before kissing me. I don't resist; his lips are too wonderful.

He breaks, his hands resting on the sides my rib cage, my arms around his neck, and our faces only a short distance apart.

"You're going to hate me for this," he says.

"For visiting me? I think not," I reply, leaning forward quickly to close the gap, but his hands hold me back when I'm three quarters of the way there.

"Katniss. You know this isn't just a good old innocent visit. We aren't catching up. Katniss, you're getting married!"

"Gale... I already am."

The shock on his face is indecipherable. Is he happy for me, is he angry, is he going to start raging against Peeta? I just don't know with Gale. "When...?"

"About a week after I saw you in the woods at the party," I answer.

His face turns ten different shades of red, and finally it turns a light pink, and I can tell he's blushing under his tan skin. He pulls me close, and whispers in my ear, "Well, let's make it unofficial, shall we?"

He yanks my hair tie out and lifts a strand out of the wavy mess. He slowly begins to braid it.

"Katniss," he sighs heavily before continuing. "I've seen other girls since I left. But I never liked any of them. It was usually a week long relationship, tops. All I've done is sit around, trying to not think of you. It doesn't work."

"But you've seen other girls. That must count for something. I know that you like to gush about me and all, but that's a little over the top. Look, I've seen you on the news making out with that girl... What's her name? Amy? You must've liked her, or you wouldn't have been doing that," I argue.

"That's the whole point, though, Katniss! That was after I left, when I was doing nothing but thinking about you! You are my life now, only you! Not those other girls!"

"Why did you date them, then?"

"Because! Don't you get it? I went out with those other girls because I was trying to get over you. Trying to feel something again. It never worked." His voice cracks on the last sentence. I know he's telling the truth. "I love you, Catnip."

I search his eyes for anything, anything that would give me doubt of his love for me. There's nothing. "I love you, too," I whisper.

He pulls me tighter against him and kisses me with as much enthusiasm as he can muster up after his emotions got mixed up.

I kiss back, putting in the same amount of force as him, or at least trying. But not exactly succeeding, I'll admit.

"Come here," he says, pulling me over somewhere else while cupping his hand over my eyes. He sits down on something, and picks me up with one arm, his hands still blocking my sight. He sits me on his lap, and when he uncovers my eyes, I see we're sitting on the love seat in the guest room.

"What's up?" I ask.

He looks at me, and puts his hands on either side of my face. I look at him, wondering what brought him to doing this. "I want you to know..." he trails off.

"Go on. You can tell me anything," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck.

Gale takes a deep breath. "I don't love you, okay?"

It takes me a minute to grasp this. I sit there, smiling and wrapped around his little finger like a servant, and then he turns on me. I back up. "Well, I guess-"

"Wait," he says softly, his hand wrapping around my forearm. "I love the old Katniss. Catnip, not the girl on the fire. Not the Mockingjay. Catnip. Katniss Everdeen. I don't like the Capital mutt version of yourself. Listen to your heart. Let me love the real you," he pleads.

"How?" I ask.

"Can you be Catnip? Just for one day? Please?" he looks in my eyes, and his glisten with saltwater tears.

"Yes," I whisper, and kiss him as encouragingly as I can.

"Wait." he pushes me back again. "That's the Catnip that misses me. Do you miss me?"

He smiles and I grin, nodding hugely.

"Alrighty, then. Continue."

And continue we do. We kiss each other until we have to stop for the sake of breathing. Then we begin again. My fingers linger on the back of his neck, his on my back. We kiss and don't stop until I give a small yawn on his lips.

"Tired?" he asks.

"Yeah," I murmur.

"Here," he says, slumping against the back cushion of the love seat. He pats his lap, and I lay my head there, letting him pull my hair back from my face and play with it, twisting it into knots that may be more intricate than Finnick's were. "Go to sleep, baby... I've got you. Close your eyes, sweetheart."

My eyelids flutter slowly a few times. My hand reaches up to hold them open, but his wraps around my wrist.

"Go to sleep, Katniss."

I nod, and let him knot my hair, let the gentle pull of his fingers lull me to sleep.

He shifts slightly a split second before I doze off, and I catch his face, opening my sagging eyelids and looking in his eyes. "Stay with me. Please," I whisper.

He smiles at me, and leans down to whisper something in my ear. "Always, Catnip."

Then my eyes close for good and I'm seeing his face in unconsciousness.

**A/N: Hey, you guys! I hope y'all enjoyed, and as always, read and review! And remember: may the odds be ever in your favor!**


	8. Chapter 8

~Chapter 8~

**A/N: Hey, you guys! And by guys, I mean girls **_**and**_** guys, of course! I'm in such a great mood. I'm working on my third chapter of a new fanfic I'm working on. It's on Narnia, and it's an Edmund/OC romance. It also includes Peter/OC and Suspian, though the story is mainly focused on Edmund and Avaline (OC). I can't wait to upload it, but I can't bring myself to until I figure out a brilliant title for it. I just can't think… I think I might call it "Just and Justice." How does that sound? When you all review, tell me what you think! And I'd like y'all to please read it once I **_**finally**_** get it uploaded! Anyways, so this is the eighth chapter of Come Morning Light. I'm so happy that I'm finally updating. By the way, I'm so sorry for that. I've had so much schoolwork and stuff on my hands that I haven't had the time! I have a little bit of chapter nine typed up, but I'm not done yet and I don't really have the time to finish writing it and upload it tonight, but I'll try my hardest to do so soon! I **_**promise**_**! So, yeah….Without further ado, I give you Chapter 8 of Come Morning Light! Read and review!**

_**Disclaimer: I do **_**not**_** own The Hunger Games or any of its characters, however I **_**do**_** own Come Morning Light, Jabberjay, and Igniting Sparks, along with any characters I may have created to go with these stories.**_

"Katniss?"

Someone knocks on the door. It sounds like Peeta. He has the key, why can't he get in himself?

"Katniss? Katniss!" the voice begins to get panicked. "Katniss, open the door!"

I roll over, and unexpectedly hit the floor with a loud bang.

"Katniss!"

Finally I can't take it. "Peeta, can you not open the door yourself? It's not locked," I groan as my sore muscles overwhelm me. Although the couch is very soft and comfortable, laying there for too long can give you a serious case of the cramps.

"Katniss, the door is too locked. Now open up!"

I manage to endure the crick in my neck and stagger over to the bedroom door. I turn the knob, immediately unlocking it, and Peeta opens it before I can blink.

"What are you doing in here of all places?!" he exclaims.

I fumble for an answer that sounds believable, since I obviously can't use the real one.

Wait, the real one? The one involving Gale... Where IS Gale?

"Uh, Katniss?"

"Hmm? Oh, gosh! Sorry, I was cleaning the room, because Annie and Tommy are coming over on Saturday, and I got tired and achy so I laid down and fell asleep on the couch.

"Are they spending the night?" Peeta asks me suspiciously.

"Yeah. Wouldn't you like to have some social time for a change, too? Tell you what, I'm getting tired of laying around all day alone!" I say, throwing my hands in the air.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Sorry!" he says, hugging me with one arm. The other arm holds a shopping bag.

"What's in there?" I ask.

His eyes look down to where I am pointing. "Oh, that? That just a little doll I bought for Maysi for making a good grade on her clay animals assignment."

"Three-year-olds have grades?" I ask. I have absolutely no idea what goes on inside that daycare. I always thought they just played building blocks or colored.

He nods, and I raise an eyebrow. "I know, it's ridiculous," he scoffs.

I roll my eyes, stepping back from him.

"Hey, come back here," he says. I look at him. "I haven't gotten any 'welcome home, honey' kiss yet."

Laughing, I kiss him on the cheek and begin walking back away, but he grabs me and lands a kiss on my lips. Peeta, never having been as daring and flirty as Gale, doesn't kiss roughly at all. As a matter of fact, he never has, that I remember. Always soft on soft, gentle on gentle.

But Peeta doesn't pull away. Never. At least, not as suddenly as this. Usually I can tell when Peeta is getting tired, or when he's about to wrap it up. But now something triggers Peeta's back-off reflex, which I think has happened maybe once since the day I met him, and he steps back from me.

I open my eyes. "Peeta?"

He looks at me, confused. I watch him, more confused than he is times a dozen. He carefully picks up a strand of my hair, holding it between his index and middle finger like it's evidence from a crime scene.

He holds it up to his face, pulling my head forward in the action. Peeta gives the piece of hair a small sniff. He pauses, as if deciphering a difficult word puzzle.

"Peeta? What is it?" I ask.

"Shh," he whispers.

So I have no choice but to wait patiently for whatever he is upset about.

He is still standing, his brow furrowed from the strain. He sniffs again as if he forgot what the scent was, then once more.

Peeta's head raises back up to look at me. "Katniss..." he says unsteadily.

"Peeta, what is it?"

"Katniss..."

"Peeta, what's going on?"

"Katniss, I need you tell me the whole truth. And only the truth," he says. I look into his eyes, seeing pain in an ocean of blue. What in the world could possibly hurt and alarm him so? It's just my hair!

"Okay... But why Peeta? What is it?"

"Katniss..." he trails off. I put my hand against his face, comforting him.

"Go on," I whisper.

"Katniss, were you with Gale today?"

I blink in alarm. Gale. Me. Today.

Oh no.

The tears form.

"Katniss?"

They threaten to overflow.

"Katniss?"

I try to blink them back.

"Katniss, please! Answer me!"

'Too late...' The last thing I think before my eyes close and the tears roll down my face.

"Oh, baby, what's wrong? I trust you, okay? If it hurts you, you don't have to answer. I promise."

My voice tries to respond, but immediately cracks. The lump gets stuck in my throat and I can't speak. Finally, it clears. "Peeta," I say.

"What is it, baby?"

"I... I- Peeta, don't trust me. Just don't. I'm a filthy liar. Can't you see through me to know that? I've been with Gale, okay? And all I've been thinking about lately is how it'll effect me if you find out! Peeta, I'm more guilty than anyone has ever been, alright. I don't deserve you and-"

He cuts me off. "Katniss, stop."

I look up.

"Katniss, I know you've been with Gale, okay?"

Now it's my turn to be confused. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because. Katniss, I'm the one that doesn't deserve you. You never would've loved me if I hadn't have told the world in that dreadful interview. It was stupid, and though I'll never stop loving you, and never forget you, I know that I'm not the one you're meant to be with. I'd I hadn't said anything, you'd be with Gale, hunting in the woods right this second."

"Peeta, don't you get it?! I wouldn't be with Gale! I'd be watching innocent children be shipped off to their death!"

He stands, watching me, and knowing that what I've said is true.

"You're the one that did everything for this rebellion. If you hadn't admitted that you loved me, then I wouldn't have held out the berries to save you. I wouldn't have been the Mockingjay. There would be no rebellion, Peeta. Face it, those five words, 'she came here with me,' saved Panem."

He smiles as he realizes the truth in the statement.

"Come here, you rebel," I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward me.

**A/N: Sooooo, how'd ya like it?! I'm wayyy too happy today. Haha. Anyways, I won't keep you long except to say that I expect a review. I want AT LEAST five before I update the ninth chapter. I don't want to push you to give me too many at first, so I'll stick with five for now. So anyways, may the odds be ever in your favor and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D**


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